Another thread talking about gadgets and such, got me to thinking about stuff we bring while bowhunting. When I was a kid growing up, about all I would take hunting squirrels, and deer for that matter, was basically a shotgun and a pocket full of shells. When I started bowhunting, pretty much just my bow and arrows. Seem to always have some luck on getting meat. As I grew older, fell into the compound world and these hunting shows started coming on television that advertises all these new gadgets and so many different hunting aids...not going to lie, I bought into a lot of it. Mostly different grunt calls, doe bleats, rattling antlers, deer drags, camo, different tree stands, this that, this and that...next thing I knew I got pockets and a backpack full of stuff I hardly even use or worked for that matter...if it did, it was sparingly.

As I gotten older, I’ve pretty much come full circle. I’ve thinned out and downsized to just bow, arrows, knife, compass,and a grunt call maybe. Carry a tree stand in, if I’m in an area I don’t have a hang on already up. I got a pack frame I leave in the truck, that I’ll get and use to pack an animal out if need be. This is mostly hunting deer around the pubic land where I live....not a diy elk hunt in the mountains and what not. I see a lot of folks still carry so many different gadgets and a huge pack full of everything for a half day hunt, and nothing wrong with that for them..just I’ve backed off on it.

Anyone else guilty of that tread? Just curious what most here bring on a hunt.

Been there, done that! I live in NY a bow only suburb 50 minutes north of NYC. I hunt all public land. 300-400 acer parcels. I usually hunt half days. I used to take more stuff then you could believe and would hardly use half of it. I have about a 45 min to hour walk to get into the areas I hunt.

I don't hunt from a tree stand anymore, so that helps. I now carry a haversack which really helps cut down on the extras. I also carry a Waldron Pac seat. I strap some extra clothes to the seat to carry in.

This is about all i carry, FAK, gutting bad, deer drag, headlamp or flashlight, extra glasses, water bottle, snack bag- sandwich, candy bar, leatherman tool, small saw or pruner, extra glove, extra string, stringer, grunt call, sent waffers, map, compass.

For simple day hunts out the back door I don't take much at all. My bow and arrows of course, a small fixed blade knife, license and tags, small role of flagging tape, maybe a couple of protein bars to snack on. A butane lighter is handy.

Full circle indeed! I've done it too. 20 years ago it got so bad that I actually got one of those golf bag carts that you walk with and painted it camo to haul all the stuff I'd need for an all day treestand hunt. Now, I have my bow and a small fanny pack and I ground hunt. Extra knife, compass, water bottle, snack bars/sandwich(if all day hunt), license, TP (ALWAYS!!!), small pocket steel, hand pruners and cable ties (for making blinds).

The military has a term for it......... IMPEDIMENTA

im·ped·i·men·ta [im?ped??men(t)?]

NOUN: equipment for an activity or expedition, especially when considered as bulky or an encumbrance.

Binos & knife always. if I'm going up a tree 3 screw in steps climber safety harness 25'nylon cord and folding saw. If ground hunting Just bow & arrows. late Oct till late Nov rattling horns or device & grunt call & always an old 6'×2" nylon strap to drag deer with

Aldo Leopold wrote of this ages ago. Ozone generators and now there's a gizmo to hide your magnetic aura or something! Sheesh!

What is being lost is 'woodscraft, as in 'sit still and watch the wind'. But, but, but, I want to sit in the middle of a food plot and hunt 360 degrees! Waaauuuggghhh!

hide your magnetic aura lol

I like to carry a apple and some water besides my bow, arrows, knife and rope, and my stool.

30 years ago I bought one of those Gamefinder thermal detectors for downed game. Needless to say that it was a complete scam that didn't work at all, at least from what I could tell.

Yeah I've been hoodwinked a few times but that was probably the most ridiculous purchase I've ever made. Ah, to be young and stupid again....those were the days.

ELECTRO-magnetic!!

I got carried away for a while, when I was chasing Elk 14-16 hours/day between 9 & 12 thousand feet. And whenever there’s a chance that you could be caught out in rough weather or forced into an overnight, I think there’s something to be said for that. But now I think more in terms of what I’ll need to get off of the hill safely, rather than what I think I might need in order to tough it out up there.

And it’s amazing how overloaded you can get just hauling a little survival gear, some extra clothes, and a few game bags... maybe some line to get quarters up out of harm’s way if the bear shows up...

I started off smarter. CatQuiver I, and whatever couldn’t fit inside it or be lashed onto it just didn’t make the cut. JMO, the biggest mistake we make is to start with excess cargo capacity, because I’ve never seen excess capacity that didn’t lead to excess cargo.

I never understood TV hunters, those that carry that big pack and all that junk, that they never going to use, since they are not going to field dress, quarter, or take out anyway,,,, maybe its just for the camera, and sponsor.............

I hunt in an area, that I have to be prepared in, to stay the night, so I take a little extra, but not much really,,,,, I travel lite...............

The best gadget I bought, was the Havalon knife, with extra blades,,,,, ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain

K.I.S.S. method is the best. If we try to use everything that is advertised, which makes the advertisers happy, we would need a tractor-trailer to haul it all to the woods. LOL

Bow, arrows, quiver, knife, bottle of water and that's it. Oh and my Butt Out Tool. Can't live without my Butt Out Tool!

there are some gadgets are worth the money and some that are not. I try to let the hunt dictate what I need.

Not sure what to call gadgets, but the wife insists I carry my little fold-up TracFone. I think just so there will be a signal to look for if I bite the big one while hunting.

I keep my fanny pack full of fun stuff; water, protein bars (actually Snickers or Fig Newtons), wet paper towels in a ziploc, my Leatherman tool, camera with extra batteries. There are likely other things in there that never see the light of day until I clean it out bout' once a year. I hunt from the ground so don't have to worry about tree stands, steps and such. Most of my hunting here is within ten miles of the house as I live in the Allegheny Mountains many ridges and foot hills.

I usually drive 5 hours to the other side of the state. Hour or two to get up high in the morning. So my Ribz pack has the essentials for a day and perhaps a night somewhere up there at 10,000 feet-not comfortably but do-able. Gadgets abound in every sport.

Gadget=fastflight, nylon, fiberglass, tree stands, binos, spotting scopes, muck boots, sights, tabs, cammo, watches, compasses, feeders, etc. Seems like gadgets, those things that take away from real, hard core woodsmanship, affect us all. Appears to be a personal decision. Probably not any body else’s concern how much of what people use

I'm trying to down size. Besides my bow and arrows,I carry a day pack with a drag strap, folding saw, pruners, camera, water, compass,license,pencil,wind powder,cat eyes, knife, calls,plastic bags(for heart & liver). I might have missed a few small items. Binoculars too. So, i have room for a jacket and extra gloves and hat if I think it's gonna get cold. Sometimes a folding chair/seat and cushion. This is for day hunts. Sometimes I think this is to much.

My favorite gadget is my hunting stool. I 've killed deer and turkey and caught a lot of fish sitting in comfort. When my knees bother me, I have a place to rest. Good luck

The only Gadgets that I take with me are, my : knife,flashlight,compass,tp and bottle of water.

Butt out tool, good god man!

I have the standard boy scout 'smart' stuff. Fire, Water, Shelter, compass, first aid, whistle, TP, Flo marking tape.... Fits in a small pouch.

My favorite 'gadgets' that I added from necessity: Rite N Rain paper (left a note on a stand that was where it shouldn't be), Pliers (for pulling points out of trees), tiny grappling hook for when I climb trees and drop something.

Hey, those "Butt-Out Tools" really do work, and work well! Of course half the time I forget I even have one and just field dress the old fashioned way. That's one gizmo that actually works good, kinda like a Thermacell. So many gizmos nowadays are just junk, but there's two that work as advertised.

Day trips around home I carry minimal gear also. A small backpack with a can of Fresh Earth wafers, a small LED Mag Lite and a extra set of batteries, a short section of rope, an old safety belt, the type that went around the tree then cinched up around your waist (makes a EXCELLENT deer drag rope/strap), a butane lighter, a bottle of water, maybe a pack of crackers, gloves. Depending on the time of year a Thermacell and if cold an extra toboggan and neck gaiter.

Oh yeah, a fresh pack of Stokers Apple chewing baccer and always have a pack of Swisher Sweets in there for the hike out, and if success comes early in the hunt, I always have a cigar while admiring the deer before field dressing begins.

I was going to buy a Butt Out tool when they came out, but production was back ordered for 2 years because the IRS bought all they had and ordered more!

My pack it filled with treestand safety stuff, would be much more simple sitting on ground

Just curious, anyone carry gadgets that are camo? I know they look cool but if you drop it???

I hunt public land in Noerthern Il so I carry a butt-out and other essential tools like a pruner, field dressing gloves, headlamp and extra batteriesbatteries, bow hook, bow hoist made from a Coleman Clothsline and a doe bleat call. This all fits in a camo fannie pack.

Iwoud imagine the distance and the time afield would dictate what is needed.

I've gotten so bad with putting camo/brown colored objects on the ground and then not being able to find them that I carry a blaze orange bandanna with I use to lay on the ground first when I gut a deer so I can put my knives on them. This way I don't have to spend a half hour looking for them after I'm done gutting, or worse yet when I'm half way through gutting....and yes, I've done both!

Always take a back pack. In said pack goes: water bottle, 10 oz. bottle of coke if warm weather, snacks/lunch, compact bins, camera, knife, glasses and case(can't shoot with trifocals), baggie with license-TP-marking tape-spare tab-matches, compass, usually a bottle of some kind of scent, grunt tube, folding saw, trimmers, pee bag. Maybe if real cold I leave the coke home and take a small thermos of hot chocolate. Not too many gadgets except the scent and grunt tube.

I always carry a knife, compass canteen, toilet paper and Bic lighter(2) I have a German folding stove inside a small titanium pot with Esbit fuel. Ill take a freeze dried meal as well as coffee or cider packets. If I get bored, I eat a nice lunch. I enjoy it damn near as much as hunting. In Mtn. country or on boat trips I pack a bit more. One night unprepared in the woods makes a man careful.

I hunt from the house on my land,,,,i shoot from a back quiver so its gota fit in the pockets Small belt knife a 2 blade folder and the bare essentials in a Tuff Traveler pouch Small bottle of water and a spare string and tab in the pouch in my back quiver

I also carry a 30ft paracord line with large treble hook tied to it. Points are dulled. Use it to pick up gloves, hat, anything dropped from tree stand. Nothing like freezing cold and your looking at your toboggan and glove that you knocked off your stand.

Sure saw a lot of gadgets for hunting when I got my first recurve ('62). Those gadgets would be the thoughts of folks sitting around and tinkering in their home work shops. Seems like a lot of old fellows when I grew up, who might have been around during the depression, would have work shops out back of their houses for tinkering. My grandfather and great uncle had both a woodworking (lathehs etc) and a separate electrical shop (with benches, special lighting, and drawers of hoarded stuff like old relays from a pin ball machine, knobs and pulleys etc from diasembled items etc. They made what they needed or invented. Even a stir spoon for the kitchen which was sculped wire. That is where folks would invent a lot of hunting and fishing stuff.

This gadget making period was also refleced in our sport, and I remember Archery magazine having new home made gadgets all the time in it to help with hunting and shooting. Bet some of these came from someone's efforts out of thier shops at home.

A lot of us made gadgets when we had ideas, or whatever we needed for lack of money. Examples would be a pocket quiver for field archery. I made one 'cause somebody else at the range made one (lack of money). I also painted leaf patterns on a red hooded sweatshirt with some of my artists oil paints in dark crimson reds and light oranges so it would be a legal red outer garmet to wear for my state's regulations (an example of an idea which I made to have a better hunting situation). Back then, all deer hunters had to have orange or red upper clothing (no camo), both for gun and archery hunting.

Don't see folks making as much of their stuff or coming up with a new gadget at home nowdays. But it's interesting that many folks who do, also shoot traditional equipment. It's always great fun to see those ideas on this forum.

Same here. I have a backpack full of crap. I finally realized that I never even used any of it and it was a pita hauling it up into the tree for a two hour sit. Last year, I toned it way down and only used a fanny pack to carry some emergency stuff just in case. Grunt tube and flashlight hang around my neck. Arm guard and glove in the fanny pack until I'm settled in the tree. That's pretty much it nowadays.

My back pack and seat hold all I need. I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Latex gloves always for gutting.

I have to have my ozonics

I guess I'm still half circle. Not so much gadgets so much as binoculars, GPS, rain gear food water rope etc. I carry a small daypack every time I set out for elk or deer…Just a habit I picked up hunting in Alaska and can't let go of it.

I don't generally take many gadgets on a hunt on my home turf. I do have a small sling over the shoulder pack. I always carry T.P., latex surgical gloves for field dressing, a couple of sheets of paper towels to wipe excess blood off my hands, small knife, rain gear if needed, net face mask and a couple of twist ties for affixing tag to antlers or ears. I do not need a lot since I am generally hunting a mile or so from camp and can easily return if necessary. I do have one gadget that is neater than sliced bread. It is my L-E-Vater. A portable winch like contraption so I can easily lift a deer into the bed of my pickup or buggy. I generally hunt alone so having that is a lifesaver for my old back. It is heck to get older.

Every year I say the same thing. Remember the good old days. Bow, arrows, knife, and a light. Good to go. My deer hunting isn't so bad anymore. But my running beagles has gotten horrible. Used to be gun, shells and a leash. Today there's that plus compass, Garmin, hand warmers, a water. So much crap.

Can you just use a stick from a tree with a few knife cuts for barbs as a Butt-Out?

About half of my hunting time is spent within 150 yards of the house so I got to have my phone to call my wife in case my thermos runs dry or I feel the need for another sandwich. Luckily I have my barn full of gadgets so close cause you never know what you may need. I find a tractor with a bucket very useful after a good shot when deer hunting.

Guilty of all the gadgets also,so I will downsize when I am able to hunt again.After my latest injury it will be awhile,so I will have time to sort through all the gadgets in my pack.

I don't carry many gizmos. I do however carry redundant gear. I do this based on the premise that anything you feel is important enough to carry one of is important enough to back up with another. So I usually have a belt knife, a neck knife and pocket knives in both front pockets. I also carry multiple ways to make fire in multiple places. I carry water and a brew kit. I love a trail side cup of tea or coffee.I also carry a couple ways to purify water. I carry a small pack as well that could sustain me in the event of logistic displacement or injury for 3 to 5 days or longer until found. If I couldn't self rescue. I started doing that when I hunted in the mountains in California. I carry most of my gear on my person the pack is for emergency mostly. It is a FAK and real survival kit. It weighs between 15 - 25 pounds depending on how much food and water I am carrying.

Butt out LOL! Yeah I need a tool for that.....

I find a tractor with a bucket very useful after a good shot when deer hunting. Ha! Just did this last year and will do it again. Cant just throw them into the truck.

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